Jogi, however, went on to say his main target in the elections is the BJP. "Narendra Modi has done nothing for the farmers," he said, "For the first time, Chhattisgarh farmers are committing suicide. They never took this step earlier, not even under British rule. It means the farmers do not have faith in the government."

Women Congress supporters have complained about losing polling hours due to EVM glitches at polling booth no. 63 in the Durg district. They have alleged that the ruling government is behind malfunctioning EVMs as otherwise, Congress candidate Arun Vohra had clear chances of victory

Input by Hitesh Sharma

14:25 (IST)

Daundi Lohra sees highest voter turnout of 48%

After a slow start, polling has picked up at 14 constituencies in the Durg division, with 28% turnout recorded till 1 pm. The District Election Office said that the Daundi Lohara Assembly constituency has registered the highest voter turnout until of 48% at 1 pm and the lowest turnout in the division has been recorded at 29% in Saja.

The villagers of Chatrang, Pal Kevra and Ghuidih have boycotted the elections due to no development work done by the government in their villages. According to the villagers, the decision to boycott the elections was taken by the Panchayat and it was decided that a fine of Rs 1 lakh will be imposed if any person from these three villages is found participating in the voting process. Officials at the Baikunthpur polling booth have confirmed zero voting at these villages.

Input by Chandrakant Pargir

13:34 (IST)

TS Singh Deo says he is not the CM candidate yet; attacks Opposition for faulty EVMs

Congress candidate from Ambikapur and Leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, TS Singh Deo while speaking to the media said that he was confident of Congress' win in the state as the farmers were supporting the party. When asked about Congress' claims of EVM tampering, Deo said that it not uncommon now for one to hear of such incidents as around 20-25 machines are malfunctioning in one constituency and this was a clear case of misconduct.

Input by Manish Soni,

13:12 (IST)

Pathalgaon records 34.7% turnout by noon

EC spokesperson tweeted the voter turnout for various constituencies in the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections. The overall percentage stood at 23.71%.

Rahul Gandhi during his poll campaigning had alleged the Narendra Modi made honest people suffer in 2016 but spared the rich. Addressing a poll rally in Koriya district, he alleged that Modi had waived loans worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore of a few rich people, but not those of the poor farmers. "As soon as the Congress forms the government here, Modiji, you count 10 days. The Congress will waive the loans of each farmer in Chhattisgarh within 10 days," Gandhi said.

He accused the prime minister of remaining "silent" on the "corruption charges" against Singh and claimed that the names of Singh and his wife had surfaced in the alleged Rs 36,000-crore civil supply scam.

12:23 (IST)

Election Commission had transferred a senior public relations officer for offering bribe ahead of polls

The Election Commission on Saturday had asked the Chhattisgarh government to transfer one of its senior officials who was allegedly caught on tape offering money for a sting operation against opposition Congress leaders in the poll-bound state. The commission directed that S Rajesh Toppo, secretary and commissioner of public relations in the state government, be transferred from his present post "in context of alleged statements made by him", a spokesperson said. "The commission observed that such statements indicate partisan behaviour apart from use of uncivilised language unbecoming of a senior civil servant," the spokesperson said.

Toppo was allegedly caught on tape asking a journalist to film a video of Congress members abusing one of their senior leaders. The official is purportedly heard saying that he is willing to spend some money for the sting video, PTI reported.

12:04 (IST)

Voters' name missing from voting list in Raipur's Boriakala

In Raipur's Boriakala, around 1,100 names of voters are missing from the voter list. Booth No. 243 has 99 names missing while at booth no. 244 has 1,061 names are missing. The officials are saying that their votes have been shifted to other booths but the voters are unaware of those booths.

Chhattisgarh Congress in charge PL Punia complained to the Election Commission that three EVMs were found at the residence of the Headmaster of Chirmiri municipality.

The Election commission, however, clarified that he might have been given the post of a sector in-charge. Meanwhile, the Police has seized the EVMs.

Input by Awadhesh Mallick

11:45 (IST)

Amit Shah called Congress "an ATM that dispenses fall promises"

BJP president Amit Shah while addressing a rally in Dhamtari on Saturday had launched a broadside against the Congress, terming the party an "ATM" that dispensed "false promises", instead of development, when problems were inserted in it. Shah accused the Congress of not doing anything for the state (part of Madhya Pradesh earlier) during its 55-year rule in the country. He also lavished praise on the incumbent Raman Singh government for turning Chhattisgarh into a developed state from a "bimaru" (ailing or backward) one.

The Congress had raised a ‘faulty Electronic Voting Machines’ claim in the Chhattisgarh polls, saying that faulty EVMs are being deployed in the party's stronghold areas. Congress leader PL Punia is having a meeting with the Election Commission to discuss the tampering claims.

12.54% voting had been recorded till 10 am in the second phase of voting in the Chattisgarh Assembly elections, ANI reported.

10:59 (IST)

Faulty EVMs halt polling in Ambikapur, Korba constituencies

In Ambikapur, voting hasn’t yet started in two polling booths due to EVM malfunctioning. While in Korba, EVM machines in polling booth No. 154 of Ravishankar Nagar and in polling booth No. 127 in Rampur primary school stopped working.

Input by Neeraj Agarwal

10:45 (IST)

Voting stops in various booths of Raipur due to faulty EVMs

Multiple instances of EVM malfunctioning have been reported from Dhamtari, Jashpur and Raipur constituencies. In the Sihawa constituency of Dhamtari the EVM stopped working and no voter has been able to cast vote since morning. The administration is busy in repairing the faulty EVMs. Whereas, in Jashpur voting hasn’t yet started in many areas due to faulty EVMs.

In Raipur's Mowa, voting stopped working after voting had started and only around 30 votes could casted till then. Voters were very agitated as even in Raipur West, faulty EVMs halted the polling process.

Input by Saurabh Sharma

10:35 (IST)

Close contest in Pratappur between BJP's Ramsewak Paikra and Premsai Tekam of Congress

A keen contest is on the cards in Pratappur (ST) segment between Home Minister Ramsewak Paikra of BJP and former Congress minister Premsai Tekam.

In the first assembly elections held in 2003, after formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, the BJP put up a good show in this region winning 10 of total 14 segments whereas the Congress could bag just four seats. Raman Singh was elected as the chief minister for the first time after the 2003 elections. In the 2008 polls, the BJP continued its winning streak in the Surguja division, but its tally fell to 9 seats whereas the Congress improved its performance by adding one more seat to its 2003 kitty. However, in the 2013 elections, the BJP lost its edge over the Congress with each party settling for seven seats in the region.

10:32 (IST)

Pathalgadi movement spreads across the tribal belt, impact seen on Chhattisgarh elections

The northern areas of Jashpur and Surguja saw the Pathalgadi movement arrive in its political form on 22 April, when tribal folk in the villages of Bachhraon and Butanga placed a stone slab outside their borders and declared the Gram Sabha as the highest institution. The Pathalgadi movement has been spreading rapidly in the past one-and-a-half year across the tribal belt in Jharkhand to the linked areas of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and even Madhya Pradesh. The stone slabs with constitutional rights of the Gram Sabhas written on them are meant to wrest back the powers granted to tribals under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA).

In the last year, such slabs have been installed in several villages and tribals in some areas of Jharkhand have made compliance with Gram Sabhas compulsory for the residents. In many areas, even government officials have been stopped from entering.

Input by Vandana Agarwal

10:14 (IST)

No vote cast so far in Bhatgaon as voters boycott election over lack of development

Voters have boycotted the elections in Bhatgaon constituency over zero development and not even a single vote has been cast here till now. Officials are trying to convince the people to come out and vote.

Video courtesy: Rajesh Soni

10:09 (IST)

Parties woo erstwhile royals in tribal-dominated areas in Surguja

Political parties have wooed scions of erstwhile royal families in tribal-dominated Surguja region, with both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress fielding royal descendants in at least four of the total 14 seats in the region. Surguja region spanning five districts is going to polls on Tuesday.

While the region comprising Surguja, Jashpur, Koriya, Balrampur and Surajpur districts has more or less remained loyal to the BJP since the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, the Congress has been steadily improving its tally. The region comprises 14 of the total 90 seats in the state. Of these 14 constituencies, nine segments are reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. Located in the northern part of the state, Surguja region is known for dense forest and significant mineral resources.It was once considered as a Naxal-affected zone, but the menace was subsequently contained.

TS Singhdeo, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader and incumbent MLA from Ambikapur seat, belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Surguja. Deo has been renominated from the same seat this time. He is believed to be in the race for the post of chief minister if the Congress comes to power. BJP's youth leader Anuraag Singh Deo has been given another chance by the ruling party from Ambikapur despite his defeat at the hands of TS Singh Deo in 2008 and 2013.

Another prominent royal family in the region is of late BJP stalwart Dilip Singh Judeo who hailed from Jashpur. His son Yudhveer Singh Judeo had served as an MLA from Chandrapur seat in adjoining Bilaspur division for two terms. This time, the BJP has fielded Yudhveer Singh's wife Sanyogita Singh to contest from Chandrapur seat.

Late Ramchandra Singhdeo, who had served as the first finance minister of Chhattisgarh, was another royal scion from Koriya. After his demise in July 2018, his niece Ambika Singh Deo has been fielded by the Congress from Baikunthpur seat against BJP minister Bhaiyyalal Rajwade, PTI reported.

Narendra Modi, while speaking at a poll rally in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund, claimed that Dalit leader Sitaram Kesri was ousted unceremoniously by the Congress, "locked in a bathroom" and "thrown out on the footpath". Kesri, who was from a "Dalit and exploited community", was not allowed to complete his term as the Congress president so that Sonia Gandhi could take over the reins of the party, Modi alleged.

Modi, however, praised the high voter turnouts in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in the first phase of polling on 12 November and also in the panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir. "Despite being threatened by Naxals with guns and bombs, a huge voter turnout was recorded in Bastar. The poor tribals have shown faith in democracy and given a befitting reply to bombs and guns," he said.

Meanwhile, in the Akaltara seat, Ajit Jogi's daughter-in-law Richa Jogi who is contesting on a BSP ticket is likely to give a tough fight to Saurabh Singh of BJP and incumbent MLA Chunnilal Sahu of Congress.

Election authorities in Chhattisgarh on Monday described as fake a video being shared on social media that purportedly shows EVMs displaying incorrect symbols during the recently-held first phase of elections in the state. The video shows voters claiming that the symbols of the party that they had voted for did not correspond to the ones on paper trail machines attached to the electronic voting machines (EVMs), PTI reported.

In a report submitted to the Election Commission, state chief electoral officer has said the videos are not from anywhere in Chhattisgarh and has given reasons to support his claim. He said the voting compartment shown in the video is different from the one used in Chhattisgarh in the phase one of polling on 12 November. "The voting compartment we are using is corrugated plastic sheet with full colour ECI symbol, whereas in the video it shows normal cardboard type without any symbol ...the ballot papers we are using are pink colour. But in the video, it shows white colour ballot paper," he told the poll panel in the report.

09:34 (IST)

In pics: Special 'pink booths' created to attract women voters in Jaspur

Special sangvari pink booths have been set-up in Jaspur for women voters which are managed by woman-only staff. Even during the first phase of elections, special pink booth had been created to get more women to come out and exercise their voting right.

100-year-old Nanki Bai who belongs to the Korba constituency reached the polling booth to cast her vote.

Video courtesy: Vandana Agarwal

09:16 (IST)

EVM stops working in some booths of Raipur; voting yet to start in Raipur (rural) seat

EVM glitches have been reported from Jora booth in Raipur (rural) and voting hasn't yet started there yet. EVM's in two booths in the Raipur (north) seat have also stopped functioning.

Input by Neeraj Agarwal

09:06 (IST)

Congress worker alleges violence by BJP workers in Ambikapur

Congress worker Ramvilas Agarwal from Udaipur in Ambikapur alleged that his car was torched by BJP workers late Sunday night. He also alleged that BJP workers attacked him.

Input by Lallan Singh

09:02 (IST)

Having parted way with Congress, Ajit Jogi says his main target is BJP

Former chief minister Ajit Jogi, who once used to be the face of the Congress in the state, broke away to form the JCC in 2016. He has forged a pre-poll alliance with the BSP and CPI, hoping to be the kingmaker on 11 December. The difference between the promises of Congress and JCC, said Jogi, is that he has sworn to deliver on a 100-rupee stamp paper. "If I go back on my assurances, anyone can file a complaint, and I could be jailed for two years," he told Firstpost. "Has the Congress done it [provided such assurances]?"

Jogi, however, went on to say his main target in the elections is the BJP. "Narendra Modi has done nothing for the farmers," he said, "For the first time, Chhattisgarh farmers are committing suicide. They never took this step earlier, not even under British rule. It means the farmers do not have faith in the government."

08:58 (IST)

Voting stopped in three booths in Balrampur due to EVM malfunctioning

Polling was halted in Balrampur's Mahaveerganj, Deviganj, and Bhanaura polling booths after the EVM machines installed there stopped working.

Input by Arun Soni

08:54 (IST)

People line-up to cast vote in Jaspur

Around 1.8 lakh thousand security personnel have been deployed for peaceful voting in the state but EVM glitches are being reported from various areas.

Image courtesy: Yogesh Thaiwat

08:40 (IST)

EVM glitches reported in Raipur, Koreya

In Koreya, voting did not start in the Urumduga polling booting of the Baikunthpur Vidhan Sabha due to EVM glitches. Voting also stopped in a polling centre in the Bharatpur Sonhat Vidhan Sabha after theEVM stopped working.

In Raipur, voting on booth number 126, 127 was halted because of EVM malfunctioning.

08:36 (IST)

Many high profile candidates in fray today

While the Chhattisgarh Assembly speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal is fighting from Kasdol. Opposition leader and Congress' TS Singh Deo is contesting from Ambikapur for the third time.

Former chief minister Ajit Jogi, having left the Congress, is fighting from Mariachi. His wife Renu Jogi is contesting from Kota, whereas their daughter-in-law Richa Jogi is contesting from Akaltara on a BSP ticket.

Input by Saurabh Sharma

08:28 (IST)

BJP candidate detained by police; Congress state president sits on dharna ahead of polls

BJP candidate Siddhnath Paikra was detained by the police late Monday night after Rs 2 lakh in cash was found from his car. He is contesting from the Samri Vidhan Sabha in Balrampur district.

Whereas Bhupesh Baghel, the Chhattisgarh Congress president sat on dharna on Monday after Congress in charge Chhattisgarh, PL Punia was forced to leave the state by the election commission.

Input by Arun Soni

08:25 (IST)

NOTA to play spoilsport for political parties? Chattisgarh leads the way in favouring none

Chhattisgarh was in the news for polling the maximum number of NOTA votes in the 2013 Assembly election, with NOTA even playing spoilsport for candidates on many seats. In 2013, NOTA was at the third position in as many as 35 of the 90 Assembly seats.

Looking at data of the previous Lok Sabha election, NOTA got a thumping response in the tribal-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh, with the option securing third place in five of 11 such seats. In Maoist-affected Bastar, for instance, 38,772 voters preferred None of the Above - over Aam Aadmi Party candidate Soni Sori, who got only 16,903 votes. Similarly in Kanker, 31,917 voters pressed the NOTA button, and in three-time CM Raman Singh's home district Rajnandgaon, 32,384 people chose NOTA over him.

Input by Suneet Shukla

08:21 (IST)

Six Naxal-affected areas go to polls today

Naxals carried out an aggressive campaign against the elections in Chhattisgarh with several attacks on security forces and party candidates being reported from the Bastar region ahead of the first phase of polling across 18 sensitive constituencies. Even on the on 12 November, during the first phase of polling, an encounter had broken out in Pamed area of Bijapur district and an IED bomb went off barely a kilometer and a half away from the polling booth in Tumakpal, near Katekalyan area in Dantewada. IED bombs were also found near polling booths and diffused successfully in Konta and Bijapur.

Among the Naxal-affected districts going to polls in the second phase are Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund, Kabirdham, Jashpur, and Balrampur.

Input by Suneet Shukla

08:17 (IST)

19,296 polling booth to see action in second phase; tight security in Naxal-affected areas

All arrangements are in place for the second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. On Tuesday polling will be held in 72 seats of 19 districts amid tight security as over one lakh police personnel have been deployed for the voting process. The fate of nine ministers, the Assembly speaker will be decided in the polls.

Polling will be held from 8 am to 5 pm in these seats of central and north Chhattisgarh where as many as 1,079 candidates, including 72 each from the BJP and the Congress, are in fray, an election official told PTI. As many as 19,296 polling booths have been set up for the second phase, the official said. Extra vigil is being maintained in Naxal-affected Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund, Kabirdham, Jashpur and Balrampur districts, he said.

Of the 72 seats, 46 are for the general category, while nine are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 17 for Scheduled Tribes candidates. Of these seats, the BJP had won 43 seats in the 2013 polls while the Congress had bagged 27. One seat each was won by the BSP and an independent candidate.

08:09 (IST)

Bilaspur division, with 24 Assembly seats, could hold key to deciding the winner

The Bilaspur division in Chhattisgarh which has 24 Assembly seats, the highest among the five divisions in the poll-bound state, is expected to play a crucial role in deciding the winner. Located in the centre of the state, the division comprises of five districts — Bilaspur, Mungeli, Korba, Janjgir-Champa and Raigarh.

In the 2013 polls, the 24 seats in the five districts of Bilaspur saw a close fight with BJP winning 12 seats, Congress 11 and BSP taking away one. However, this time with the BSP tying up with former chief minister Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), a three-way fight contest between the BJP, Congress and the Jogi-led alliance is being anticipated. While the BSP is contesting 10 of the 24 seats in the division, the JCC(J) has fielded candidates on the rest.

Polling for the second phase will be held from 8 am to 5 pm in these seats of central and north Chhattisgarh where as many as 1,079 candidates, including 72 each from the BJP and the Congress, are in fray, an election official said. However, two seats Amaamora and Modh — both Naxal-hit areas — will poll between the 7 am and 3 pm window.

19:48 (IST)

1,079 candidates fighting it out for 72 seats

A total of 1,079 candidates are in the fray in phase two, and both Congress and BJP are contesting all the 72 seats. The BSP is in the fray for 25 seats and its ally and former chief minister Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh is contesting 46 seats. AAP has fielded candidates in 66 constituencies.

19:44 (IST)

High voter turbout in phase one of Chhatisgarh polls despite Naxal threat

A total of 18 Assembly seats in eight districts of Chhattisgarh clocked a 76.28 percent voter turnout in the first phase of the elections on 12 November, despite the Naxal threat to boycott the polls. This could likely be an indication of the importance of infrastructure development.

Voting in 72 seats across 19 districts of Chhattisgarh will begin at 8 am and will go on till 5 pm. Over a lakh security personnel have been deployed to ensure a peaceful polling process.

Chhattisgarh Assembly election phase 2 LATEST updates: At 2.30 pm, over 50% voting was in Lundra, Ambikapur, Bilaigarh, Kasdol and Balodabazar. Lundra saw a polling percentage of 62%, Ambikapur 55%, the EC reported. Meanwhile, parties continued to spar over faulty EVMs with the Congress blaming the BJP for tampering of the voting machines.

The villagers of Chatrang, Pal Kevra and Ghuidih have boycotted the elections due to no development work done by the government in their villages. According to the villagers, the decision to boycott the elections was taken by the Panchayat and it was decided that a fine of Rs 1 lakh will be imposed if any person from these three villages is found participating in the voting process. Officials at the Baikunthpur polling booth have confirmed zero voting at these villages.

Congress candidate from Ambikapur and Leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, TS Singh Deo while speaking to the media said that he was confident of Congress' win in the state as the farmers were supporting the party. When asked about Congress' claims of EVM tampering, Deo said that it not uncommon now for one to hear of such incidents as around 20-25 machines are malfunctioning in one constituency and this was a clear case of misconduct.

At 12 pm, 25.2% voter turnout was recorded in phase 2 of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election, sources said. EC spokesperson tweeted the voter turnout for various constituencies in the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections. The overall percentage stood at 23.71%.

In Raipur's Boriakala, around 1,100 names of voters are missing from the voter list. Booth No. 243 has 99 names missing while at booth no. 244 has 1,061 names are missing. The officials are saying that their votes have been shifted to other booths but the voters are unaware of those booths.

The Congress had raised a ‘faulty Electronic Voting Machines’ claim in the Chhattisgarh polls, saying that faulty EVMs are being deployed in the party's stronghold areas. Congress leader PL Punia is having a meeting with the Election Commission to discuss the tampering claims.

The Durg district reported the highest turnout of 14.2% at 10.00 am. Meanwhile, BJP senior leader and minister Amar Agrawal violated the code of conduct in Raipur as he went to cast his vote with a lotus flower in his pocket.

12.54% voting had been recorded till 10 am in the second phase of voting in the Chattisgarh Assembly elections, ANIreported.

Multiple instances of EVM malfunctioning have been reported from Dhamtari, Jashpur and Raipur constituencies. In the Sihawa constituency of Dhamtari the EVM stopped working and no voter has been able to cast vote since morning. The administration is busy in repairing the faulty EVMs. Whereas, in Jashpur voting hasn’t yet started in many areas due to faulty EVMs. In Raipur's Mowa, voting stopped working after voting had started and only around 30 votes could casted till then. Voters were very agitated as even in Raipur West, faulty EVMs halted the polling process.

Voters have boycotted the elections in Bhatgaon constituency over zero development and not even a single vote has been cast here till now. Officials are trying to convince the people to come out and vote. Whereas, in Jashpur where the Pathhalgadi movement took place. enthusiastic voters came out to vote in huge numbers early morning.

The Kota seat is likely to witness a three-cornered contest among incumbent MLA Renu Jogi (JCC-J), Vibhor Singh of Congress and Kashi Sahu (BJP). Meanwhile, in the Akaltara seat, Ajit Jogi's daughter-in-law Richa Jogi who is contesting on a BSP ticket is likely to give a tough fight to Saurabh Singh of BJP and incumbent MLA Chunnilal Sahu of Congress.

Former chief minister Ajit Jogi, who once used to be the face of the Congress in the state, broke away to form the JCC in 2016. He has forged a pre-poll alliance with the BSP and CPI, hoping to be the kingmaker on 11 December. The difference between the promises of Congress and JCC, said Jogi, is that he has sworn to deliver on a 100-rupee stamp paper. "If I go back on my assurances, anyone can file a complaint, and I could be jailed for two years," he told Firstpost . "Has the Congress done it [provided such assurances]?"

Jogi, however, went on to say his main target in the elections is the BJP. "Narendra Modi has done nothing for the farmers," he said, "For the first time, Chhattisgarh farmers are committing suicide. They never took this step earlier, not even under British rule. It means the farmers do not have faith in the government."

Polling was halted in Balrampur's Mahaveerganj, Deviganj, and Bhanaura polling booths after the EVM machines installed there stopped working. Anti-Naxal Special DIG DM Awasthi said that "paramilitary forces have been deployed in six. districts where voting is scheduled for Tuesday. Besides this STF, DRG, and Cobra battalion have also been deployed.”

In Koreya, voting did not start in the Urumduga polling booting of the Baikunthpur Vidhan Sabha due to EVM glitches. Voting also stopped in a polling centre in the Bharatpur Sonhat Vidhan Sabha after the EVM stopped working. In Raipur, voting on booth number 126, 127 was halted because of EVM malfunctioning.

BJP candidate Siddhnath Paikra was detained by the police late Monday night after Rs 2 lakh in cash was found from his car. He is contesting from the Samri Vidhan Sabha in Balrampur district. Whereas Bhupesh Baghel, the Chhattisgarh Congress president sat on dharna on Monday after Congress in charge Chhattisgarh, PL Punia was forced to leave the state by the election commission.

Six out of 19 districts where polling is scheduled on Tuesday are Naxal-affected. Conducting peaceful polling in Gariaband, Baled, Balrampur, Dhamtari, Kabiradham, and Mahasamund will be a challenge for security forces. Meanwhile, the Bilaspur division which has 24 Assembly seats could hold the key to deciding the winner in the state.

A three-way contest is in the offing as Chhattisgarh goes for the second and concluding phase of the Assembly polls on Tuesday for 72 seats spread across 19 districts. The ruling BJP wrestling it out with the Opposition Congress, and the Ajit Jogi-Mayawati-CPI alliance has emerged as a formidable third front in Chhattisgarh.

A total of 1,079 candidates are in the fray, and both Congress and BJP are contesting all the 72 seats. The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is in the fray for 25 seats and its ally and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) is vying in 46 seats. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded candidates in 66 constituencies.

Carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000, the state where the BJP is in power since 2003, is witnessing a three-way poll battle for the first time.

Voting has begun for the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections. 101 Reporters

Jogi, who ruled Chhattisgarh for the first three years as a Congress chief minister, later floated his own outfit and aligned with the BSP and the CPI, is perceived to impact the poll battle where the vote share difference between the BJP and the Congress was less than 1 percent in 2013.

In 2013, the BJP, with 41.04 percent vote share, had own 49 seat, while the Congress won 38 seats with a vote share of 40.29 percent in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly.

Among the prominent faces in fray in the last phase are state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel (Patan), Leader of Opposition in the Assembly TS Singh Deo (Ambikapur) and former Union minister Charandas Mahant (Shakti).

For the BJP, the list includes state ministers Brijmohan Agrawal (Raipur City South), Rajesh Munat (Raipur City West), Amar Agrawal (Bilaspur), Prem Prakash Pandey (Bhilai Nagar), Dayaldas Baghel (Nawagarh) and state party president Dharamlal Kaushik (Bilha).

For the alliance, Jogi is in the fray from Marwahi, his wife Renu Jogi is contesting from Kota, and his daughter-in-law Richa Jogi is a BSP nominee from the Akaltara seat.

The high-decibel poll campaign, which ended on Sunday, saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Chief Minister Raman Singh and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath raising the pitch for the party in Chhattisgarh.

For the Congress, which looking to unseat the BJP, party chief Rahul Gandhi led from the front, targeting Modi and the Raman Singh government over corruption and agrarian distress.

Besides flaying Modi for demonetisation, Rahul also dared the prime minister to speak up over the Rafale deal, which the Congress claimed is India's "biggest defence scam".

The BJP's campaign in Chhattisgarh centered around attacking the Congress over dynasty politics, with the Nehru-Gandhi family being the focal point of both Modi and Shah's attacks.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the second phase where an electorate of over 1.5 crore is eligible to exercise its franchise.

The first phase of election in 18 constituencies across eight Naxal-affected districts of the state took place on 12 November and saw 76.28 percent voting despite the rebels threatening people to stay away from the poll process.